CRACKED CHOCOLATE/HAZELNUT CHRISTMAS COOKIES

These are must make cookies for your incoming Christmas holidays, the kids adore them and so as grown ups. Crispy on the outside with a soft middle rich in chocolate and roasted hazelnuts and all this sprinkled with ‘snow’. The only problem is - they are highly addictive!

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 50 g brown sugar (1.7 ounces, 1/6 cup)
  • 200 g all-purpose flour (7 ounces, 1 1/2 cups)
  • 250 g melted dark chocolate (8.8 ounces, 1 1/3 cups)
  • 1 shot of espresso or instant coffee – one shot – 70ml / 2.5 fl oz
  • 80 g melted butter (2.8 ounces, 1/3 cups)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 100 g roasted crushed hazelnuts

For the "snow"

  • 100 g sugar mixed with a little cinnamon and vanilla (3.5 ounces, 1/3 cups)
  • 100g icing sugar (3.5 ounces, 3/4 cups)

Preparation:

  1. Mix eggs and sugar with a hand mixer. 
  2. Add vanilla extract.
  3. Melt butter with the chocolate at low heat and add the mixture to the eggs. Mix.
  4. Add the prepared coffee. If you don't like the coffee taste, replace it with cappuccino or instant chocolate. Mix.
  5. Add the flour mixed with the baking powder, shortly mix and add the crushed roasted hazelnuts.
  6. Cover with nylon foil and refrigerate for 3 hours.
  7. Put the icing sugar and the sugar in 2 plates. Preheat the oven to 200C /400F and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
  8. Take one teaspoon of the dough, make a small ball with your hands and roll the ball first in the sugar and then in the icing sugar.

  9.  Place prepared snow balls on the baking tray and repeat with the rest of the dough. Leave about 3 cm space between balls since they grow while baking.

  10. Place 1 baking tray in the oven and reduce temperature to 180 C. Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on whether you prefer them softer or crispier. 

  11. After baking, put the other tray to bake. Leave them to cool down for a while, then serve and enjoy the wonderful taste.

  12.  Enjoy!